


meteor shower

by pymtron



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Body Horror, First Time, Galra!Keith, Keith's name is Akira in this, Loss of Limbs, M/M, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Prince!Keith, Romance, Royalty, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-07 09:51:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7710538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pymtron/pseuds/pymtron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(discontinued) takashi shirogane crash lands on an unknown alien planet and is captured by its inhabitants. as he fights to stay alive in an unforgiving society where he is an outsider, he finds someone that changes everything in the form of a galran prince.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i have not written in a really long time, but i got this idea one night when writing headcanons and. yea. i don't really like critique cause i just write for fun, but comments are always appreciated!! thanks!

“Ready for the long way home, boys?” Shiro looked over from his place at the controls to the young man and his father strapping in for takeoff. Matt gave him a toothy smile, characteristic of the Holts, Shiro had noticed. “Another half a year in a space pod with you and dad? I was born ready.” Matt took off his large, rounded glasses and exchanged them for his helmet.

Everyone laughed, any of the tension and apprehension about taking off gone for the moment. It never made Shiro nervous, but he knew Matt could get a little scared during a rough takeoff. But he was brave nonetheless, and Shiro always assured him that he and Sam would protect him no matter what. Shiro also said he’d give Matt a million credits if he couldn’t stick a landing or take off smoothly. Matt wasn’t counting on that money, even though he told Shiro all the time someday he’d be sorry he made that bet.

“Say goodbye to Kerberos,” Matt said softly as he gazed out the small window onto the icy surface of the moon, “I wish we could stay longer, seeing as how long it took to get here.”

“Don’t forget, son, researching the samples we picked up is going to be just as life changing.” Sam added.

“You’re right.”

Shiro had zoned out listening to the sound of the conversation, not so much the actual words. He snapped out of it when Matt laughed at him. “Come on Shirogane, let’s get a move on.”

Shiro laughed off his distraction and gave the Holts one more smile before turning back to the dashboard, strapping himself into the seat and taking hand of the flight controls. It really was time to leave. He never got over how each takeoff felt, the lift, the sound, the simultaneous feeling of fear and excitement. He loved being a pilot more than anything. He knew from his first flight that he was destined to do this.

Kerberos lacks an atmosphere, so it wasn’t as turbulent of a ride as it would be getting off the ground. They’d have to wait a good several months for their bumpy landing. Once they were stable and on a course for Earth, Shiro told Matt and Sam they could unbuckle their harnesses and move about the ship as they felt like it. Sam went to go see if he could start preparing the samples in the small laboratory room of the ship, but Matt just stayed where he was.

“Do you think my dad thinks we’re dating?” Matt asked out of the blue, the words cutting through the silence. Shiro didn’t even know Matt was still there, so he was a little surprised. So surprised he burst out laughing after a good few seconds of more silence.

Matt joined in, and Shiro turned the ship on autopilot, turning toward him with a big smile. “He is always giving us more time alone than seems appropriate.”

“What is he gonna do when I tell him I’m straight?”

“Oh, Matt, he’ll be crushed.”

The two friends bantered for a while until Matt figured he should join his father in the lab, leaving Shiro by himself. It was smooth sailing, Shiro looking ahead to see if they’d have to change course, but everything seemed just fine. Leaving the ship on autopilot, he let his mind wander to thoughts of Earth, his friends back there, his parents. As much as he loved space, he couldn’t wait to be home again.

Weeks passed without incident, as expected. The samples were studied, and the bond between the three only grew stronger. Shiro even showed Matt how to fly the ship. One night when Matt and Sam were sleeping while Shiro stayed up to make sure nothing happened, suddenly all of the controls on the dashboard started going crazy. Alarms were blaring. Shiro couldn’t see anything but the void of space, so he started to panic. Matt and Sam came rushing into the cockpit asking what was going on.

Only more questions arose when an enormous hole opened up and pulled the ship in, but none of them had the chance to speak or scream before the entire ship was ripped to pieces.

Everything happened in a flash. Shiro remembered being ripped out of the ship, into the dead silence of space. He looked down upon a massive, dark planet and felt true terror for the first time in his life.

He looked up and saw Sam, then Matt about 30 yards away from him, closer to the ship. He wanted to scream for them, but everything was silent and he knew the sound wouldn’t carry in the void.

And then the ship exploded.

 

≛≛≛≛

 

_I’m dying. I’m dying. I’m going to die._

Shiro’s thoughts raced as he regained consciousness, a searing pain overtaking his whole body. He was on solid ground, in fact it felt like grass. His arm was shredded, blood pouring out all over his suit and onto the ground. He could barely move, but he sat up after a good few minutes, propping himself up on the elbow that wasn’t shattered. The wreckage of the ship was nowhere to be found, and neither were his friends, until he looked over and saw Matt.

No, _no._

He dragged himself over to his friend with his good arm. “Matt!” He choked out, ripping his helmet off without thinking, but he couldn’t breathe with it on. Luckily the planet seemed to have breathable air. Any other time he would have marveled at the fact, but he didn’t even think about it now.

“Matt!” Shiro screamed hoarsely, looking over his best friend’s body. There were burns all over his face, his suit torn apart. His helmet wasn’t anywhere near that Shiro could see. He called Matt’s name again and again, trying to get him to wake up, but it was no use. He had been dead before he hit the ground.

Shiro stared into his friend's lifeless eyes and sobbed, held Matt’s body in his arms even though it hurt like hell. He cried until the tears stopped coming, and the pain overtook his body.


	2. Chapter 2

Shiro awoke feeling colder than he’d ever felt in his life. His vision was fuzzy, bright lights and the pain in his body clouding it.

Lights?

These were artificial lights?

He tried to sit up, but he had been strapped or tied down, he couldn’t tell. He looked to his left and right, then at his sides, and almost screamed when he saw that his arm was _gone_. He remembered it being torn up, how badly it hurt. But now it was gone. His stomach turned.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice broke through the eerie silence. A voice he couldn’t understand, a language he didn’t know.

He focused his vision as well as he could on the figure approaching the table he was strapped to, and saw that whatever it was...It was not human. It was dark purple, pointy-eared and furry, almost bat-like in facial structure, with piercing yellow eyes that looked like they wanted to burn a hole in him. It spoke in a masculine voice, but Shiro didn’t understand anything it was saying.

“Where am I? What...what are you?” Shiro asked, but the alien just stared at him. Clearly it didn’t understand him either. “Are you going to kill me?” A shiver ran up Shiro’s spine as he said those words, but that was the thought at the front of his mind right now.

Once again, the alien didn’t respond, and instead spoke to someone else that seemed to be on another side of the room. It put a mask over Shiro’s nose and mouth and before he could protest, he was unconscious again.

The next time Shiro awoke, he was in a cell. In the cell next to him, other strange looking creatures, none of which he recognized. He quickly backed himself into a corner. He was still in shock, from the pain in his own body, from the deaths of his friends, and from the realization that humans were not alone in the universe. In fact, they were far from the only intelligent species. He hadn’t had more than five minutes to think about his situation and what had happened to him, and he didn’t think he had the time now either.

The aliens around him chattered in another language he couldn’t understand, and they looked at him with unreadable expressions. Shiro had never been so scared. He was in pain, alone, and hungry.

“Um, hello?”

The sound of a language he recognized, Japanese, scared him so bad he thought his heart might burst. He looked out of the cell to see a young, dark skinned girl, dressed in a white garment that was torn slightly at the bottom. Her hair was stark white. She was beautiful, but not human, he noticed from her pointed ears and unique, bright eyes.

Shiro’s voice shook as he responded to her, in disbelief. “How can you…”

The girl smiled warmly and knelt down to get on Shiro’s level. “I understand almost every known language. Including those of humans...although you would be the first I’ve met.”

Shiro looked at her like she was his absolute saving grace. He didn’t know how an alien from god knows what solar system could understand Earth languages, but he didn’t dare question it now. His mind immediately started running, asking questions as fast as he could think of them. “Who are you? What solar system are we in? What planet? What is this place? Why am I locked up?”

The girl just smiled and put up her hands defensively. “Slow down, please! I understand you’re confused. I saw them bring you into the cell and I thought I would come and speak with you. My name is Allura, I... I was the princess of planet Altea before the Galra destroyed it.” Her voice softened slightly. “This planet is called Galra...I am sure you’ve not heard of it nor the solar system it belongs to. We are a long, long way from earth.”

Shiro stared at her.

“Would you tell me your name?” She asked.

“It’s...Shirogane. Takashi Shirogane.”

“Well then, Mr. Shirogane, welcome to Galra. I can’t say I’m happy that you’re here.”

“That would explain why I’m locked up like this. The Galra are the purple ones?”

Allura nodded. “They’re very nasty and you don’t want to get on their bad side. I suggest you do what they say without question.”

Shiro didn’t like the sound of that, but if it meant his life, he supposed he couldn’t argue.

Suddenly, they could hear a large metal door scraping across the hard floor as it opened. Allura cringed and looked at Shiro again. “I’ll come back when I can. Stay safe until then, Takashi Shirogane.”

“Wait, Princess—” Shiro tried, but she was already gone. In her place now stood a very tall, very large Galran. He made a low, growling noise before speaking in his own language. He opened up the cell and dragged Shiro out; dragged him across the floor as Shiro kicked and screamed at him. For the third time that day, he thought he might die.

Shiro felt his heart drop into his stomach when he was led down a hall with other prisoners, that opened up into an enormous room full of people. In fact, it almost looked like…

It was a circular arena, eerily similar to the Roman ones on Earth back a long time ago, but it somehow seemed more sinister. A moment later a dull blade was being shoved in his hand and he was forced out into the sand.

When a large, murderous creature came out of the shadows, he realized this fight was not intended to be fair. If he weren't himself, he would've given up right then and there. But there's no way he could let himself die for nothing. Not without having his life mean something.

The monster took a swing at him with its giant fist, and he quickly jumped out of the way right before he got hit, but he didn’t see the next move coming. A giant purple orb came at him, and it grazed his good arm (the one that wasn’t missing) burning a hole through the rags he was wearing and singeing his skin. He groaned in pain and started to run for his life.  
  
It felt like a lifetime of dodging and running from place to place as he tried to time the monster’s movements, to see if there was a pattern in its attacks. He gradually figured out that the orb needed to charge after every third hit. Shiro thanked the stars above that he had been smart enough to figure it out. After he regained the courage to take the monster head on, he swung his ragged blade as hard as he could at it. After a good few tries and more running to safety to wait for his next attack, Shiro took it down. He could hardly believe it himself, and he buckled over in pain afterward, but he had done it. The entire crowd cheered for him, for the first human they had ever seen, and Shiro felt his heart sink.


	3. Chapter 3

Gladiator.

Slave.

Killer. 

Shiro was a  _ murderer _ . 

Even after six months, he hadn’t been able to make peace with the fact, especially since the Galrans called him “Champion” (Allura had been teaching him the language.) How could they, Shiro wondered, condone such behavior so easily? But then again, what kind of creatures let people kill each other for sport? 

Shiro thought of the Romans, but he thought humanity had learned from that. However, he slowly came to realize that humanity and the Galra had their similarities. The Galra were more technologically advanced, but their morals were…

No.

The Galrans were nothing like humans. They were nothing like him. He hadn’t met a single one that treated him with any amount of kindness and he didn’t expect to for the rest of his miserable life. 

“Shiro, are you listening?” Allura’s nettled tone of voice brought Shiro out of his thoughts. He pushed his now white bangs up out of his face and shook his head. “Sorry, go on. I got distracted.”

Allura huffed and started to recite Japanese verbs as Shiro translated them into Galra. The language wasn’t terribly hard to pronounce; Shiro was fluent in Japanese and English so he could handle anything. He had asked Allura to teach him Galran so he’d be able to understand everyone rather than be in the dark all the time. With some persuasion and bribery, the guards agreed to let Allura into Shiro’s cell a few times a week to teach him. He knew if it weren’t for him being Champion the answer would have been a flat out no, and he may not have ever seen Allura again after that. Fortunately he and Allura both received special treatment (if you could call it that) sometimes. Allura was more of a servant than a slave, and Shiro got all kinds of boons from being Champion. He was thankful for it, and he always shared with his fellow gladiators if they were willing to accept his offer.

At this point, Shiro could have full conversations in Galran and write a little, too. Galran was a simple language, short, to the point, and not graceful. Characteristic of its people. There wasn’t much room for adjectives and adverbs or figurative language. Shiro didn’t mind, it made it easier to learn, but it felt harder for him to get his point across.

The Galrans had given him a new arm after his first battle. It was robotic, but he felt it as if it were flesh and bone. He felt touch, temperature, even pain if you managed to hit it hard enough. Luckily it could be used as a weapon, something he was infinitely thankful for. 

His hair had turned partially white as all of the stress gradually wore him down, although he didn’t mind it much. He didn’t care what he looked like, there was no reason to care anymore.

It was rather early in the morning for a lesson, but today was a special one. Supposedly they would be getting a visit from the Galran Emperor. Shiro had heard stories about him, Zarkon. Allura had met him once before and didn’t enjoy talking about it.

Shiro actually got to clean up for once, receiving some new(ish) clothes from the Galra and he and some other gladiators were sent up to the arena for Zarkon to “examine” them. Or at least, that was the word Shiro understood from one of the guards. Allura said goodbye and that she would see Shiro next time, and after getting ready, he was released from his cell.

Zarkon was, in short, terrifying. He had to have been 8 feet tall. He looked cold, practically emotionless, as he stared at the best gladiators the arena had to offer. He didn’t have fur like some of the Galra, but rather rough looking skin and an bore an unforgiving, violet gaze.

“Which of you is the Champion?” Zarkon asked, his voice rumbling in a way that resonated throughout Shiro’s whole body.

“I am, Your Majesty.” Shiro bowed heavily with respect to the emperor, although no part of him respected this man.

“How has the arm been to you?” 

Shiro hesitated. “...Fine, Your Majesty. Great actually.” He tried his best to hide his nervousness. 

Zarkon got right to the point. “I have been looking for worthy entertainment for my family and subjects.”

Shiro nodded silently, aiming to be as respectful as possible as Zarkon looked him over. He looked at him for a long time, and eventually he nodded at their master, who walked over to Shiro and put him in chains.   
  
Before he knew it, Shiro was on his way to the Galran castle, his new life changing once more. He wondered, sadly, if he’d ever see Allura again. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo sorry about the break, i was busy with otakon!

Shiro didn’t expect the Galran castle to be quite as beautiful as it was. It was brightly lit and looked as if it were made of glass, different shades of purples and blues. It would be almost calming if he weren’t so afraid. He was brought in by two guards, down two flights of stairs, into a room at the beginning of a long hallway. The guards shoved him in and locked the door.

The first thing Shiro noticed about the room was that it was clean. It had lights, furniture, and was about the size of 6 cells back in the arena. It even seemed to have its own bathroom. Shiro jumped right in the Galran shower and he couldn’t remember the last time he smiled so hard it hurt, but his cheeks were sore.

It was hours before anyone came to the room, and Shiro had been studying some Galran literature he had found in the bedside table. There was a loud, sharp knock at the door and it opened without permission. “Come, Champion.” He noticed it was not a guard, but what must have been a Galran soldier. He was stoic, but his eyes seemed almost kind.

“May I ask a question?” Shiro asked as they walked.

“I suppose, although you’ve just asked one.”

Shiro apologized softly. “Why am I here?”

“It’s the same reason why you were at the arena, Champion. Except your job just got much, much harder.”

Shiro’s stomach flipped at his words.

They walked up the stairs, side by side, and Shiro worked up the gall to ask the Galran questions. First he thought he’d start off by asking his name.

“Are you trying to befriend me, Champion?” The Galran chuckled, and it was the first time Shiro had ever seen one of them display a genuine, positive emotion.

“I could use a friend, but I’m sure you’re not here to be one.”

“Actually, while my unit commander is away on intergalactic...affairs, I am to be your master. I’m not sure if you could call that friendship, but perhaps humans are different.”

“Humans don’t have slaves.” Shiro said, and he immediately apologized, but his Galran companion didn’t seem the least bit offended.

After a long period of silence, right before they walked through a large set of doors that were paned with stained glass, the Galra stopped and turned to Shiro. “My name is Thace. It’s only right of me to ask yours as well.”

That caught Shiro off guard, but he smiled. “You can call me Shiro.”

Thace bowed his head slightly and opened the set of doors. Shiro’s stomach dropped when he realized that it was just a smaller, more intimate version of the large arena he had been captive in the past months. The seats were already full of people, and the room was lively with conversation. Thace took a seat off to the left, and eventually Shiro couldn’t see him anymore. He looked forward and saw Zarkon sitting directly in front of him, about fifty feet away. His heart pounded in fear.

Zarkon held up a hand and the entire room immediately went silent.

“This...human is one of our more recent arena champions. He has proven himself for the past several cycles that he is worthy of my arena. Place your bets as you will. He will be facing Da’zeka this evening for your entertainment.”

The crowd cheered and an alien more Shiro’s size entered through another set of double doors. He was a dark gray, with a spiky, rocky texture. In fact, Shiro could even say he looked like a walking mountain.

Shiro was given a simple sword, while his opponent was given (of course) something that looked like a sledgehammer. Ideal for his first challenge, he figured, they were probably trying to see if they could weed him out at the last second. He knew no one wanted a human fighting in the arena. Especially not these snobby Galran nobles.

After the nobles had placed bets on who would survive the fight, Zarkon allowed them to begin. Da’zeka charged at him with the hammer and Shiro ran up and jumped on the mountain man, looking for a weak spot in the seconds that he had. The alien dropped his hammer to try and pry Shiro off him, but Shiro took his sword and jammed it into the junction between two of his opponent’s rocky parts.

He leaped off him and grabbed the forgotten hammer, and with one calculated swing he shattered Da’zeka into a thousand pieces like it was nothing.

The crowd roared in applause, absolutely amazed at what had happened. Da’zeka was thought to be unbeatable, yet Shiro did it. Many of the Galrans seemed angry since they had bet all their money against Shiro, but others were excited at the prospect of a new Champion. Shiro looked at the remains of the alien he had just killed before standing in front of Zarkon and getting to one knee in a low bow.

“I claim victory for the glory of the Galra empire, Your Majesty.” Shiro said, emotionless.

Zarkon seemed pleased, and the crowd settled down as he got ready to speak.

“You have proved yourself to me, Champion. Tell me, what are you called?”

“I am Takashi Shirogane of Earth.”

“Takashi Shirogane.” His name leaving Zarkon’s lips made Shiro queasy. “Welcome to my arena.” He said in a sickeningly sadistic voice.

Shiro was taken out of the room by Thace, and he couldn’t feel his fingers as he was walked back to his own room. Finishing an opponent always took a heavy toll on him, but he did his best to never show it. Usually he could be alone in his cell, but right now he was walking with Thace and he didn’t want to show any emotion. He still wasn’t sure if he could trust the Galran.

“I thought you might like to know… The arena is opened thrice every cycle. You will not have to fight every time, for there are many gladiators. Every match is to the death with no exceptions. Sometimes both parties lose their lives. Zarkon will not show mercy to anyone, even if the — is present.”

“I’m sorry, the what?” Shiro didn’t understand the word.

“The King’s wife, his mate. My apologies.”

“No, I just hadn’t learned the word yet. Thank you, Thace.” By now they had reached the door of Shiro’s new room, and he could feel his fingers again.

“Your evening meal is waiting for you on the table. I suggest you sleep soon, there is much to do tomorrow.”

Shiro nodded and thanked him once again, heading into his room.

The moment the door shut behind him, he broke down.

He collapsed against the door and held his face in his hands and started to cry. His heart pounded and he could hardly breathe, every memory of every alien he had killed like a fresh wound in his heart. He pulled at his hair and scratched at his metal arm, wishing desperately he could pry it off and replace it with flesh and blood.  
  
He ended up falling asleep against the door, forgetting about dinner and the large bed that wasn’t far. In his dreams, he saw Matt and Sam die.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's keith

The next morning, Shiro awoke with a start. He was incredibly sore from sleeping on the floor, and his head was pounding. He stood with some trouble and went into the bathroom to shower and clean up. He pushed his white bangs up and out of face and heard a knock at the door.

He opened it up, noticing it hadn’t been locked. In front of him was an average sized Galran, not the furry kind, but one more like Zarkon with the rough exterior and strange ears. He assumed were different kinds of Galra, perhaps different races. He’d have to ask eventually.

The Galran was thinner in appearance, with glasses perched atop the bridge of his nose. “Takashi Shirogane.” He said matter-of-factly. His voice was low and smooth, but he talked rather fast.

“You can call me Shiro if you want, sir.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous with your formalities. Shiro, then. My name is Vorta, I am the royal advisor to the emperor and I will be your guide to the Galran empire for the duration of your stay here at the castle. Are you ready to go? We have much to do.”

Shiro just nodded and started to follow him, slightly confused. “You’re going to teach me?”

“Oh absolutely. As a resident of the castle, you simply must know all there is to know about Galran culture and history. It is a requirement from Emperor Zarkon himself.” Vorta said proudly. Shiro just let him ramble as he listened. 

They walked up the stairs and down a hall, up more stairs and into a room. “Five times a cycle we will meet here and I will teach you. Once you know the layout of the castle, you will be given free reign to walk around, but you will not be permitted to leave the grounds.”

“Aren’t I a slave?” Shiro asked.

“No, my goodness, no. You are an entertainer.” That didn’t make Shiro feel any better. “Now, sit down and we’ll get started.”

Vorta started to explain the planet of Galra itself, its properties, its geography. It was mostly rocky terrain, with little water and flat land. Shiro knew that much already. He showed Shiro a map of the inhabited parts of the planet, along with a map of all the planets Zarkon had conquered. He seemed so proud of it.

He explained Zarkon’s position as emperor, and listed more achievements that he had under his belt.

“The Emperor has a mate, the Empress, who is named Velza. You are to address her as Her Majesty, and treat her with equal respect as the Emperor. You will not see her at gladiatorial events often, as she does not take kindly to them.”

Shiro nodded, showing Vorta he was listening.

“There are four royal children. Three princesses, and one prince. The eldest is Princess Xyla. She is away on a mission at the moment. She is a commander of one of the Galran fleets. Then there is Princess Klona. She does not speak, so don’t try. The third is Princess Pix, the youngest girl. She is rather friendly so I assume you will meet her soon enough.” Vorta actually takes a breath, much to Shiro’s surprise. He was starting to wonder if the man ever took breaks. 

“Lastly is our only prince, Prince Akira. He recently returned from the Galran military academy but has...unfortunately been deemed unfit for service.”

“A Prince? Unfit for military service?”

“I suppose you could call him a bit of a rebel...anyway, he keeps to himself most of the time, so I doubt you’ll see him often. He isn’t the most friendly either.”

The lesson carried on for the entire day, although they stopped for a quick lunch. Vorta actually asked Shiro about Earth, humans, and what life was like for them. Shiro talked at length about it their whole meal, Vorta listening with interest, even taking notes.

Eventually the lesson had ended, and Shiro started the long walk back to his room. He bumped into some Galrans on the way, and they didn’t greet him but merely made eye contact. It was a little uncomfortable.

Before he descended the last flight of stairs, he ran into Thace, who looked flustered. “Thace?” Shiro asked as the Galran nearly rushed past him.

“Ah, Shiro. Yes? What is it?”

“Are you alright?”

“Of course, of course. I’m off to bed now. I will see you tomorrow.”

Shiro was left in the hall, confused, but he continued onto his room anyway. 

Shiro undressed and laid down in bed for the first time, and it was more comfortable than any be he’d ever slept on in his life. It must have been stuffed with clouds.

For the first time, Shiro passed right out.

He was awoken in the middle of the night (or so he assumed) by a loud crash in the room next to him. He knew no one lived there currently, he was the only one in this hall, so he decided to check it out right away. He slipped his clothes on and left his room quietly.

He made his way to the room next door, slowly turning the door handle and entering the room. It was dark, completely silent. But then he heard another crash and a string of Galran curses.

“Hello?” Shiro tried, and he just heard more cursing.

He flipped on the lights, and he wasn’t prepared for when he saw a young male Galran hanging halfway out of the small window that was high up on the wall.

He was stuck?

Shiro almost laughed. “Are uh, you alright?” He asked first.

The Galran nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Shiro. “What are you? Go away. I can handle this myself.”

“You look stuck.” 

“I am not stuck.”

Shiro sighed and approached him. “Take my hands. I’ll pull you out.” 

The Galran sighed and did so, grasping both of Shiro’s hands with his own. Shiro started to pull him through the small opening, and after a minute he practically fell right to the ground—if it weren’t for Shiro catching him. “Are you alright?” Shiro asked again, and the Galran’s ears went back like an angry cat. This was the furriest one he’d seen yet.

“I’m fine. Please let go of me.”

Shiro forgot he still had the Galran’s hands in his. “Why were you trying to get through the window?”

“It was the only place I could sneak in without the damn royal guard seeing me. I have to sneak back into my room now.” Shiro got a good look at the young alien’s tattered clothes, and his red jacket that didn’t look like it would belong to a Galra. He also noticed he was shorter than most Galra, a couple inches shorter than Shiro.

“Are you a spy or something?”

The Galran laughed. “You’re new, aren’t you? I’m Akira.”

“The Prince?” Shiro immediately started to bow, but Akira waved his arms. 

“...Don’t bow to me, please. Are you a gladiator or something?” Shiro nodded, and Akira looked him over. “I bet you kick ass. What’s your name, hairless?”

“You can call me Shiro if you want.”

“Okay.” Akira smiled a little and started to walk out of the room, waving Shiro goodbye. “I’ll be rooting for you, Shiro.”


	6. Chapter 6

The next time Shiro fought in Zarkon’s arena, Akira was seated next to his father in maroon armor rather similar to the emperor’s. He looked so regal compared to how Shiro had seen him that night they met. But his eyes didn’t lie, the way they darted around the room, looking at the crowd, glancing at his father. He didn’t seem to want to be there. 

Zarkon encouraged his son to speak so that the fight could begin, and Akira stood and spoke to the crowd in a confident, clear voice, his chest stuck out like a fluffy bird. He wasn’t exactly intimidating next to Zarkon, but the way he spoke was enthralling.

Shiro fought two newcomers this time. It had proved to be more difficult than the last fight, and he came out with a sprained wrist and two black eyes, along with an incredibly sore shoulder. He wondered if there was an infirmary here, because back in the old arena Shiro had to take care of his own wounds. He still had bad scars and pain in one of his fingers from a break that never healed correctly.

He was sent back to his room for a few hours before a Galran doctor came to treat him. She didn’t say a word to Shiro, just patched him up and left. Not all Galrans were as social as Vorta, he thought.

A few days later in the morning, there was a note left on his bedside table to come and meet Thace, and a crude map was scribbled on the back so that Shiro could find his way there. He wasn’t going to question how it had gotten in his room, because he had figured at this point that Galrans didn’t care much for personal privacy. 

Shiro showered and dressed and made his way upstairs and outside. His wrist still hurt from the fight a few days ago, but he did his best to mind the pain. In the back of the castle, down a long rocky path past a set of large gates, was what looked to be a training area. Thace was standing by a group of several large crates, speaking with another Galran. Shiro made his way over to them, and he realized that the person Thace was speaking to was Akira. He greeted them and started to bow to the prince, and Thace laughed a little. “He doesn’t like that, you know,” He said, “Have you two met yet?”

Akira and Shiro’s eyes met, and Akira shook his head. “Not personally. I’ve only seen him in the arena.”

Thace cleared his throat and gestured toward Akira. “This is Prince Akira, son of Zarkon, first in line for the throne of the Galran Empire.” (Shiro could have sworn he saw an eye roll from Akira at that.)  “He has requested to train with you personally. And Akira, this is Takashi Shirogane; he comes from the planet Earth.”

“And Shiro is just fine. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Akira.” Shiro smiled, trying to drop the formalities. Akira really seemed to hate it.

“Come on. Let’s spar, I want to see what you can do.” Akira up and walked away from them without saying anything else. He grabbed a sword from one of the crates.

“He sure is something else, hm?” Thace smiled, watching Akira with a noticeably proud expression. Shiro assumed he must have trained him to fight.

“I hope he’s good with a sword, because I won’t hold back.” Shiro replies and grabs his own sword from the same crate, heading over to Akira.

When they got into position, swords ready, Akira uttered a strange Galran phrase that Shiro understood as something similar to “square up.” He came at Shiro like a flash of lightning and before he even knew it his arm was being twisted behind his back and there was a dagger, not a sword, at his throat.

“Always be ready for surprises.” Akira whispered to him. “I know you can do better.” He removed his dagger from Shiro’s throat and let him go.

Shiro took a few steps back from him and charged at Akira this time, and their swords clashed with so much force it made Shiro’s ears ring. He had never fought a Galran before. Were they all this strong?

They sparred for at least two hours, Akira always seeming to have the upper hand of the situation. Shiro did win a few matches, and he started to get better as they went on. Akira decided it was time to stop when Shiro got him on the ground, his sword practically digging into the prince’s neck.

Shiro dropped his sword and extended a hand to Akira to help him up, which the prince took gratefully. “You’re good.” 

“Are you all this strong? Galra, I mean.” Shiro asked.

“They told me I wasn’t strong enough when I joined the army.” Akira said with a straight face. “I guess that’s your answer.”

“Well I think your strength is pretty impressive.” Shiro said honestly, and Akira thanked him. 

“Thank you for not telling Thace we had met before, by the way. I don’t need anyone scolding me about sneaking around.” 

“I’ve got your back.”

Akira gave him a smile and a pat on the back as he walked back over to Thace. From this distance, Shiro couldn’t hear their conversation, and he didn’t want to attempt to eavesdrop. Akira left the training area and Shiro was left with Thace, who approached him with his arms folded. 

“I’m impressed by how well you held up against him. I think I’d like to spar with you another time.”

Shiro thanked him and agreed, and he was sent back to the castle. He was still afraid to leave his room when he didn’t have any pressing duties, but today he was in a good enough mood that he felt like maybe he could.

He headed outside again, this time to the east side of the castle. He stumbled upon a small garden, uncharacteristic of the rocky Galran surface. He didn’t even know flowers could grow here. It was small, but hopeful in the middle of a barren plain.

He remembered Vorta talking about the Empress’ love for nature. He could only assume these small flowers belonged to her.

He leaned down and looked at a patch of pink flowers, and he didn’t have to get close to catch their scent. It was so sweet, and although it was a new flower to him, it reminded him of Earth. Of home.   
  
For the first time since the last time he saw Matt smile, that last day on the ship, he felt peaceful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :o i'm going to try to update daily, or maybe every other day! this is where the story hopefully gets interesting!!! thanks for reading!!!


	7. Chapter 7

One month later.

 

After living in the castle for...however long it had been—Shiro stopped counting days back when he was in the old arena—he had finally found solace. Even if it was just one, tiny spot, he would sit outside in the garden whenever he had the time and just breathe. He listened to the wind and watched the tiny flowers rustle slightly.

He had been sparring with Akira often now, along with Thace and other Galrans. He had learned to hold his own against a Galran soldier, and had even pinned Thace twice. His relationship with Thace had become very lighthearted to the point where they could call each other friend. Akira was friendly but distant, not speaking much of himself. He seemed to like Shiro, and Shiro considered him a friend as well. 

There were times Akira would come to his room at night and ask him about Earth, about Shiro’s past. He never talked about himself, even when they were alone. He didn’t seem to want to, or maybe he just didn’t trust Shiro enough. They would sit together on the floor and Shiro would tell stories while Akira watched him intently, just listening. The prince’s smile was contagious, and it made Shiro feel warm.

Shiro had excelled every time he had been in the arena so far, and Zarkon was incredibly pleased with him. Each challenge was harder, left him with more scars, but he had embraced it as a part of his life now. Nights were still hard and sleep didn’t always come, but Shiro tried to make the best of it. He was completely fluent in Galran now thanks to Thace and Vorta, and he had even tried teaching Thace some English and Japanese. His pronunciation was atrocious. 

Today was a frigid, windy day. Shiro had no idea how seasons worked on Galra, but the day before had been incredibly hot. He sat outside on a large, rounded rock dressed in long sleeves instead of his usual sleeveless style. The flowers seemed unaffected by the cold, blooming and bright as ever.

“Enjoying the garden?”

A soft voice broke through his moment of peace, and he turned in the direction of the sound. Before him was a tall, thin Galran, dressed in long and flowing robes, a dark maroon hood resting just behind her fluffy ears. Her long, white hair looked like it was made of silk strands. She was covered in traditional Galran jewelry, silvers and soft purple metals. Her eyes were warm, yellow like the sun’s rays, and she wore a smile on her face. Shiro wouldn’t have suspected her to be anyone other than the empress, Velza.

“Oh—yes, Your Majesty.” Shiro stood up to bow to her, and Velza’s smile grew as she curtsied in response. 

“It’s very lovely to meet you after hearing so much about you, my dear.” Shiro noticed right away how beautiful the way she spoke was, which was difficult considering the coarse language. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Empress.”

Velza nodded and bent down to examine her flowers. “These are called juniberries. My husband took them from another planet, Altea I believe... “ She held one of the flowers between her thin fingers. “Their scent is rather calming, wouldn’t you say?” Velza picked one of the flowers and stood to hand it to Shiro.

He took the flower gratefully and brought it to his nose, and up close the scent was even sweeter than he thought. Altea? He thought of Allura, and his chest felt empty for a moment.  “It’s lovely, Your Majesty.” He smiled at her and that seemed to make her happy.

“Oh...it’s so nice to see a gladiator happy despite your circumstances. I do admire you, Shiro...although I’m very sorry for what my husband has done.”

Shiro tilted his head slightly, surprised by the kind words. He knew Velza didn’t enjoy the arena, but he didn’t know she was so opposed to it. 

“Do you have a family on your planet? Friends?” She asked, her smile now rather sad, sympathetic.

The question made Shiro  _ ache.  _ “I…” He cleared his throat. “I lost my closest friend before I came to Galra. My family… My mother and father live back on my planet.”

Velza reached out to touch Shiro’s cheek, and it was by far the greatest comfort he’d ever received there. “You must miss them very much. Again, I am so, so sorry. I hope Galra hasn’t been too terrible to you, but I’m sure that hope is fruitless.”

“I’m getting used to it. Some of the Galrans I have met have treated me kindly. The Prince, Vorta, and Thace—”

“Vorta and Thace are good men. My son is a troubled soul, but he means well.” She paused. “He’s spoke of you, of you training with him? He enjoys your company.”

“I’m happy to hear that, Your Majesty.”

A small period of silence grew between them before Velza spoke again. “Thank you for looking after Akira. I’m very grateful to have you and Thace there for him.” She took the flower from his hand daintily and put it behind Shiro’s ear. “Please...be strong, Shiro. I have faith that you will be happy again someday.”

Shiro smiled and nothing more seemed to be needed to be said between them. Velza sat down near Shiro and they both enjoyed the serenity of the small garden for a while.

It couldn’t have been thirty minutes later when Akira walked into the garden from the back of the castle. He was dressed in the Galran armor he usually trained in, his fluffy hair pulled back into a small ponytail. “Mother?” He didn’t seem to see Shiro just yet. 

“Yes, darling, I’m here.” Velza stood off the rock and went to see her son. She took both of his hands and they pressed their foreheads together. Shiro watched them curiously; he had never seen Galrans show affection before.

When Akira finally noticed Shiro as he pulled away from his mother, he jumped and his ears went back as a reflex reaction. “Shiro.” He said, smiling slightly at him. 

“Hey.” Shiro returned the gesture. 

“Shiro and I were just enjoying the garden. What brings you here, love?” 

“Shiro’s late for a session with Thace and I.” Akira said, side-eyeing Shiro with a little smirk. 

Shiro blinked hard and looked at the two Galrans. He had completely forgotten! He stood immediately and apologized to both of them. Velza shook her head and told them to be on their way, as she had duties to attend to as well.

Akira and Shiro made their way to the training area, and before they entered the large gates Akira stopped and stared at the flower in Shiro’s hair. 

“That…” The Galran started, his eyes trained on the pink petals.

Shiro pulled the flower from his hair, only just remembering it was there. “Your mother gave it to me.”

Akira stared at him with wide eyes, his face bearing an expression he didn’t understand. Shiro looked back at him for a moment, cocking his head slightly to the side. 

The prince swallowed hard and took a small step toward him. “...Shiro, I—”

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat, and the two jumped slightly and looked to the right to see Thace.   
  
“You’re both late. Come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohh? what happened there? ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my poor attempt at drama

Thace walked into the training area with Shiro and Akira at either side of him, explaining what they’d be doing today. “There are five new recruits to the Galran army that I want you both to train with. They show promise, but I think you can help refine their skills.” Seated on two long benches were the Galran soldiers, each one more diverse than the last. Shiro was fascinated by how Galrans could be furry, scaly, and even slimey (he learned that the hard way last time he sparred.)

Thace introduced himself, the prince, and Shiro, and two of the other Galrans scowled and asked why they had to fight a slave, and how that could possibly help them.

Thace just stared at them with a blank expression. “Shiro is the champion of Emperor Zarkon’s arena. If you have an issue with the strength of the men Zarkon chooses to entertain himself and the Empire, we can call him out here right now and you can address him yourself.”

Shiro and Akira watched Thace speak, surprised.

“Thace…” Akira approached the other Galran, speaking in a soft voice. “Shiro doesn’t have any armor, do you think it’s safe for him to spar with these men? They seem too volatile.”

Thace put a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “Shiro can hold his own, Akira.” He looked to Shiro, who smiled at Akira to reassure him. He’d never fought with armor on before, no reason to now.

The recruits were quiet after that, and Shiro and Akira sparred with each of them. They were strong but lacked skill, as Thace had implied. They were not kind to Shiro in the sense that they played dirty during the matches and at one moment during a match, one of the larger Galrans practically jumped on top of him and swung his curved blade around behind Shiro, slicing across his entire back  _ deep. _  In an instant he felt like all of the air in his lungs was sucked out. He collapsed.

There was another flash of pain and after that, all he heard was yowling and screaming and the clash of swords. He heard someone say his name before he lost consciousness.

 

.

 

Shiro awoke with pain being the first thing on his mind, as the intense burn in his back seemed to spread throughout his entire body. He couldn’t sit up yet, but he managed to slowly open his eyes.

“Shiro?” It was Akira, the Prince dressed in dark casual clothes, his white hair pushed up and out of his face with the back in the usual small ponytail. “Shiro, can you hear me?”

Shiro looked to his side weakly so he could see Akira better, and the Galran looked like he was about to cry. He looked exhausted and miserable. His right hand was wrapped in bandages.

“What happened?” Shiro’s first instinct was to ask.

“I...One of those recruits attacked you and then another one tried to kill you, so I…” Akira looked down at the floor, talking fast and stumbling over his words. “Thace and I thought you were dead, Shiro—”

Shiro sat up with some difficulty and looked at Akira, hoping the prince would look at him too. “It’s my understanding that you and Thace saved my life. I don’t care what you did, Akira. Thank you.”

Akira didn’t look at him. “Maybe if stupid Thace would have just  _ listened  _ to me-”

Shiro shook his head and a moment later he was reaching out to grab Akira’s hand. The prince jumped and looked straight at him, ears sticking straight up and alert.

“It’s no one’s fault. Not mine, not Thace’s, and not yours. The most important thing is that everyone is okay.”

Akira looked like he was about to vomit, and Shiro asked him what was wrong. He just closed his eyes and pulled his hand away from Shiro’s, hiding his face in his own hands as he started to cry. Shiro’s heart sank.

“It’s been three days and he’s barely hanging on.” Akira spoke through his sobs. “He can’t  _ die _ , Shiro. He’s trained me my whole life, he’s…” His voice softened and he sniffled, wiping his eyes. “He’s my best friend.”

Despite the pain, Shiro moved off the bed slightly and leaned down so he could wrap his arms around Akira in a hug. His back screamed in pain for him to get back into bed, but he didn’t want to hear it. He put his hand in Akira’s hair and pet it unconsciously as the Galran leaned into him, whimpering.

“What is this?” He asked softly. “What are you doing?”

“I’m giving you a hug. Holding you. It’s what humans do with each other when they want to show someone they care.” 

Akira slowly pulled his arms around Shiro as well, resting them at his shoulder blades. 

“Thace is strong. He’s going to be fine.” Shiro said, and there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he was right.

When Akira pulled away he took Shiro’s hands in his, entwining their fingers. He pressed his forehead against Shiro’s and closed his eyes. He remembered the gesture from watching Akira and Velza, and suddenly his chest felt tight and he felt lightheaded.

“Thank you.” Akira says when he pulls away once more. “I’ll inform the doctor that you’re awake...and I think I’ll see Thace now.”

 

.

 

Akira stepped into the private room currently being used by Thace. The door had been shut, but he didn’t expect any visitors so he walked right in.

“Mother?”

Akira looked at Velza curiously as he approached Thace’s bed, where the soldier was lying unconscious. His face was partially bandaged, along with his chest and abdomen. Akira could see blood seeping through the linen covering his eye.

Velza straightened in her chair and looked over at her son, just as surprised to see him. She cleared her throat. “Hello darling.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh Akira, I…” She looked between him and Thace for a moment, and she looked like she wanted to say something.

“Mother?” Akira frowned. He didn’t even know Velza knew Thace more than just in passing.

The Empress began to weep, and Akira ran over to her. He gave her a hug, the new gesture he had just experienced, one that had comforted him beyond belief. She buried her face in his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, my love, that I never told you, I—I couldn’t bring myself to—I didn’t want you to view us differently—”

“What is it, mother?”  
  
“Thace, he—” She pulled away and wiped her tears, looking her son in the eyes. “Thace is your father.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is akira's pov!!

For a brief moment, Akira felt his world shatter. He stumbled away from Velza as a million thoughts rushed into his mind all at once and he felt like he might just keel over. His entire body shook and he looked into Velza’s eyes. His mother’s face was streaked with tears.

“I...Wh…” Akira stammered uncontrollably. He couldn’t get a single word out.

“You don’t have to forgive me, darling. You must think so lowly of your mother, that I would do such a thing...it’s just that I never... I never loved Zarkon. From the moment I met him I despised the man more than life itself. My life in the castle was so miserable...until I met Thace, and...he made life here so much more bearable and…then I found out I was with child, and I couldn’t just tell Zarkon that you weren’t...that I…”

Akira put a hand over his mouth as he choked out sobs. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what he was feeling, shock and anguish, fear, terror, relief. Relief that Zarkon, the man he never felt loved him, the man who tossed him aside every chance he got, wasn’t his father. 

Thace was.

Akira looked over to the bed where Thace lay unconscious. He still couldn’t speak and he could barely see through his tears. Did Thace know? This whole time that he mentored Akira, his entire life, did he know?

Would Thace die not knowing his son had always loved him like a father?

Akira pressed his forehead to Thace’s gently, not caring for one second he was dripping tears everywhere. “Wake up. Wake up, please.” He held Thace’s hands in his and whispered to him over and over to wake up. 

“Please don’t leave me now.” He whispered weakly, and he heard Velza stand behind him. 

“Akira—”

A gentle hand touched his back and Akira turned toward his mother for a moment, as much as he couldn’t bear to pull away from Thace. “Mama—”

Akira nearly jumped into her arms as the two embraced, Velza still not familiar with the gesture but didn’t she say anything. It was comforting, and she held her only son while he cried.

“...I don’t forgive you because there’s nothing you need to be forgiven for.” Akira said after a long, long silence. “Zarkon is a monster. I’m so glad that you found someone who makes you happy, I just...I wish I knew earlier... because now he…” 

“Darling...I will promise you right now, Thace is going to make it. I swear on my life. He is so strong. But we have to be strong for him too. Can you do that for him, Akira?”

Akira nodded, wiping the tears from his face. His hair was a mess and his eyes puffy and irritated. His heart rate was starting to settle but now he felt nauseous. There were still so many thoughts going through his head.

Suddenly a nurse opened the door and bowed to the Empress and Prince as he approached them. He told them he needed to change Thace’s dressings and check his vitals. He recommended that the Empress step outside, to which she agreed. “I have some pressing duties I must attend to, unfortunately and I…” She lowered her voice slightly. “Do not want to arouse any further suspicion my presence here may have caused.”

Akira sat in the chair that his mother had been sitting in before. “I’m going to stay.” He said, crossing his legs, and the nurse didn’t dare argue with him.

“I will speak with you soon, Akira. I love you.” Velza smiled at her son before she left the infirmary.

Akira stayed with Thace all night. He thought about all the memories he had with him, and how he hoped with all his heart and soul that he would be able to make more. He thought about his mother, how she had been keeping this secret for so long. That if Zarkon ever found out he might kill all of them, including Akira. He thought about Shiro and how he wished he could see him right now, so much that he ached, but he just couldn’t leave Thace.

He spent a long time thinking about Shiro that night. No one had ever spoken to him so informally and had it be so normal, so natural. Shiro saw him as an equal, even though the human was a slave. They respected each other unconditionally. Akira adored him with every ounce of his being, but he had never opened up to someone like that before. He was afraid to. But when he saw Shiro fall to the ground after that Galran struck him...Akira wanted to hold him in his arms and tell him every single thing about his life, answer every single question that Shiro had.

Without any uncertainty he could admit to himself that he loved Shiro. He must have for a while now, but only just realized it as he sat by the man’s bed, watching him sleep and praying that he would wake up. 

He wanted to tell him right this second, to wake him up in the middle of the night and confess, but every time he thought about it his stomach churned. What if he didn’t feel that way? What if he rejected him completely? Akira wasn’t a fool, he knew Shiro hated the Galra. The Galra killed his friends, enslaved him, made him submit to their will. What if he just saw Akira as another monster? The idea made him nauseous.  
  
He fell asleep thinking about it, and in his dreams he was with Velza and his father—his real father—and Shiro. He smiled slightly in his sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which akira and shiro are both oblivious & a confession is made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a little longer than most, i was feeling extra inspired while writin that #sheith

For once, Shiro had been counting the days. 

Today was two weeks. Two weeks that Thace had been unconscious and unresponsive. By now, Shiro had been released from the infirmary and had been placed on temporary leave from the arena. Akira had submitted the request to Zarkon personally, to which the Emperor agreed with no issue. He couldn’t have his people’s beloved champion under-performing. At this point, Shiro was no longer expendable, no longer fodder for entertainment. Zarkon seemed to actually like him, as much as the tyrant  _ could  _ like someone.

Akira had been acting different since the day Shiro had woken up. He was more open, happier to share things with him. He talked about Thace a lot, and he spent a lot more time with Shiro. Today since he was feeling a little better, he figured he’d ask the prince to spar with him. Just a lighthearted little training session to take the edge off. They had both been tense the past two weeks, worried about their friend’s recovery.

“Are you sure your wounds are healed enough for this?” Akira asked, pressing his hand to Shiro’s side that wasn’t injured. Shiro’s heart fluttered—Akira had been touching him so much since what had happened. He figured he was just being affectionate now that they were closer. 

“Yeah. Just go easy on me, huh?” Shiro smiled and Akira nodded, pulling away to grab a sword. 

They didn’t spar for long. The training area was empty and it didn’t seem quite right that Thace was not present. So they sat against one of the large walls and snacked on some strange stick-shaped things that tasted like incredibly sour fruit. Shiro could barely eat them, he kept making faces and Akira would laugh at him. They sat shoulder to shoulder on the ground, and once Shiro had decided he couldn’t eat another sour stick, Akira leaned on him a little.

“Thanks for keeping me afloat the past half cycle…” Akira rested his head on Shiro’s shoulder and reached for his hand. Shiro entwined their fingers like he usually would when they sat together. “I don’t think I could do this without you.”

Shiro’s heart pounded in his chest and he hoped to whatever deity that Akira couldn’t hear him, but with those big ears it was unlikely. He had been slowly admitting to himself that he was head over heels in love with his friend, but he was trying to convince himself that it would never happen. Regardless of how close they were, Shiro was still human, a slave, and Akira was the prince of the entire Galran empire. There’s no way he could ever feel that way for Shiro. 

The fur at the tip of one of Akira’s fluffy ears tickled Shiro’s face, and he laughed a little, turning toward the prince and smiling. Akira immediately touched his forehead to Shiro’s, even bumping their noses together.

Shiro was certain his face was red. He closed his eyes and tried to will the blush away as he spoke. “Akira...I’ve been meaning to ask. When you touch foreheads with someone, what does that mean for Galrans?”

Akira didn’t respond at all and even pulled away, so Shiro opened his eyes. He was staring at him, his ears stuck straight up and his eyes wide like he always looked when he was distressed.

“...It... “ Akira paused, looking down for a moment, seemingly searching for the right words. “It carries two meanings that I know of. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a gesture you only use for people you...People you love.” He was stammering slightly as he spoke. He kept glancing between Shiro and the ground.  “Whether it be family or your mate...but it’s not something you use for friends. It’s special...it means you trust that person with your entire being, that you would do anything for them.” He looked down at their hands that were still entwined. 

Now it was Shiro’s turn to stare, completely speechless. Had he been this oblivious the whole time? Akira had feelings for him too? His heart was beating even faster now, the blush on his face apparent to Akira, because he was staring at it curiously. 

“I’m sorry I never told you, Shiro, I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that when you didn’t know what it meant. I can stop doing it from n—”

Akira couldn’t finish his sentence after Shiro leaned into him, pressing their lips together so gently, like there may have been a feather pressed to his lips instead. Shiro was relieved Galrans seemed to kiss too, because Akira kissed him back after a few seconds. He grabbed at Shiro’s shirt and tried to pull him closer, but he ended up in his lap instead. Shiro held him with his right arm as his left hand cupped Akira’s cheek. He didn’t deepen the kiss, didn’t try to do anything more than kiss him slowly and gently. It felt so right, and for the first time in his miserable life on this godforsaken planet, he was  _ happy.  _ Truly, genuinely happy. 

Shiro felt Akira’s hands in his hair, gently petting the back and reminding Shiro that he probably needed a haircut. He smiled a little at the thought and Akira hummed in response as they kissed. 

When they both pulled away just an inch or two, Akira nuzzled Shiro all over. His fur tickled Shiro’s skin, and he couldn’t stop smiling. Shiro pet his ears and ran his fingers through his fluffy white hair, mustering up enough courage to undo his ponytail so he could play a little more.

When they both decided to take a break, Akira put his head on Shiro’s chest and snuggled into him. “That was so nice.” He said softly.

“Which part?”

“All of it, but I meant. The thing we did with our mouths.”

Oh, God. Shiro did everything he could to keep his jaw from dropping. He didn’t know what kissing was? How had he been so good at it then?!

“It’s ah. It’s called a kiss. Kissing. You do it with the person you love. Your mate, I mean.”

Akira looked up at him. “Humans are strange.”

“Well, what would you do with your mate?” Shiro asked a little sarcastically, but he really was curious.

“Well, there’s touching your foreheads together, holding hands, nuzzling, and...mating.” Akira said matter-of-factly. “Most Galrans aren’t keen to physical affection. Comes from our natural instinct to conquer and fight, I guess.”

“That’s not so strange. Seems like humans just have some extra things that we do.”

“And what else do humans do?” Akira pulled at Shiro’s shirt, trying to nuzzle and touch his chest. It was so cute.

Shiro was not about to ruin this moment and talk about sex, so he told Akira he’d show him another time. The idea made his head spin, so he tried to push it to the back of his mind as he sat with Akira for another hour or so. Eventually some people came to the training area so they had to pull away from each other. 

After putting their swords away and heading out of the large metal gates, Akira took Shiro up to his room for the first time, holding his hand the whole way. They took some back hallways, some secret looking passages that servants might have used back in the day. Shiro was sure Akira didn’t want to be caught bringing a gladiator up to his room, even if he didn’t care about his reputation.

Akira’s room could have housed ten people. It was so big it was actually ridiculous, and Shiro laughed a little. Akira nudged him. “It’s titanic, I know. Z—My father insisted on this room when I came of age.” He sighed and sat down on the enormous bed, probably the size of two kings, starting to remove his armor.

Shiro knelt down and helped him remove his greaves, starting with his right leg. Akira looked down at him curiously, and when their eyes met both of them felt butterflies. Shiro looked down with a small smile and continued his work, and when Akira had put away all his armor and changed into more comfortable clothes, he flopped down on his bed face first while Shiro sat at the edge of it. 

“Shiro.”

Shiro looked over at Akira, whose voice was muffled by his face being pressed into the pillows.

“Come lay with me.”

Shiro couldn’t say no to that. He crawled over to Akira and laid on his side next to the prince, and Akira turned over to face him. 

“Hi.” Akira said.

“Hi.” Shiro cracked another smile, which of course was contagious.

The two touched foreheads for a brief moment, and then Shiro reached up to pet Akira’s ears and hair, a gesture the prince appreciated infinitely. He nuzzled Shiro’s hands and ended up crawling on top of him again. He stopped Shiro eventually because he wanted to pet him too. He pet Shiro’s hair now and the little white streak, caressed Shiro’s face and buried his own face in his neck. Shiro scratched at the fur on Akira’s chest, lighter purple than his skin with the smallest white strands, so small you could only see them from a certain angle. 

They spent hours exploring each other’s bodies, kissing sometimes, but mostly just soft touches. They lost track of time and laid together until after the sun set and the sky was greeted by the moon and the stars.  
  
After nightfall, Akira took Shiro out to his balcony and they stood together as they watched shooting stars pass by. Shiro never thought he’d be here, a Galran holding him in his arms, Shiro’s back pressed to his front as they stared at the sky. He never thought his life would turn out like this, but through all the pain, fear, loneliness he had experienced over the past several months, he wouldn’t change a thing if it meant he could have this forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so peaceful! let's hope it lasts!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter kinda sucks lmao, and sorry for the cliffhanger-!! i was taking a little break from writing this. welcome to the second half of the story. the rest is gonna be from keith's pov!!
> 
> p.s. it's pronounced (zye-lah)

The next cycle or two, Akira found himself in a state of emotional limbo. Thace was still in a coma, completely unresponsive with no change in his condition whatsoever aside from the fact that his external wounds had healed. Akira split every second of his free time between Thace and Shiro. Sometimes Shiro would join him in Thace’s room, both talking to him and telling him stories of what he’d been missing.

Any time with Shiro meant that Akira sneaking around, but he was used to it and he sure didn’t mind. He would sneak Shiro into his room at night and they would lay together until they fell asleep, Shiro leaving early in the morning. They kissed a lot, and Akira had gotten really good at it. There were nights where they would kiss for hours until their lips hurt. 

Once Shiro returned to the arena, they didn’t have a lot of time alone together. But Akira would always come and watch his matches, mostly out of worry than anything else. Shiro was in the arena today, but Akira was to meet with Vorta for a lesson. Zarkon had insisted on a lesson at least twice a cycle since Akira wasn’t in the military anymore. Akira hated every single moment of it. On top of that, he hated Vorta. He had his head so far up Zarkon’s ass he didn’t know right from left. 

Akira hadn’t always hated Vorta. But ever since he learned Zarkon wasn’t his real father, his resentment toward the man and anything associated with him grew and grew. Velza told him stories of evils Akira couldn’t even imagine Zarkon committing, yet they were true. The man was  _ evil.  _ For the first time, Akira was afraid of someone.

Akira sat slouched in his chair as Vorta lectured him. It felt like ages that he had been sitting there before the door opened half way through the lesson.

“Akira!” The prince heard a high pitched screech of his name that slowly got louder and louder as the person approached. It was his eldest sister, Xyla, literally about to leap on top of him.

“Stars, Xyla!” Akira laughed and stood to catch her. It had been so long. Xyla was at least a head taller than him now, her body lined with muscle and her hair cut short and spiked slightly. Her pointed, hairless ears were longer now, too. She was still in battle armor, which Akira assumed meant she had just returned. 

“You trying to strangle me, baby brother? Xyla asked as Akira hugged her tight.

“No, stupid. It’s something I learned from a friend. Different species.”

“It’s weird.” Xyla pulled away from him and pressed her forehead to Akira’s. “I missed you. I heard they kicked you out of the army. Were you in there long enough for them to chop your tail off?” She started to tickle the small of his back.

“None of your business!” Akira wriggled his long, thin tail out from under his clothes and smacked her in the arm with it.

Suddenly, the siblings stopped and looked over at Vorta, who looked very flustered that his lesson had been interrupted. He cleared his throat.

“Sorry Vorta, but I feel like I haven’t seen this kid since he was a kit. I’m taking him with me.”

Vorta couldn’t argue of course, and Xyla took Akira’s hand and led him out of the room and down the hall. “Velza and Pix and Klona are waiting in the parlor. I already surprised them. I’ll see Father after the arena matches are over.”

Father. Akira almost scowled. He wished for a selfish moment that Zarkon wasn’t his sisters’ father either. He didn’t deserve any of them. Or him. Or his mother. 

He had never felt distant from his sisters, even though they had a different mother than he did. They had always included him in everything, and they even embraced Velza as a motherly figure. None of them talked about their mother. Xyla barely mentioned her once or twice to him, Klona didn’t say a thing to anyone, and Pix had been just a baby so she didn’t remember. 

Vorta said Zarkon’s previous wife, Tirel, had died in childbirth. He married Velza almost right after that. She was the daughter of the Galran noble family who presided over one of the planets the empire had conquered.

Akira and Xyla met up with the others in the parlor and they found themselves reminiscing for a long time. Xyla told stories of outer space, the planets she had visited. She even mentioned that she had met someone, one of her officers on her ship, and had fallen in love with him. Apparently they were going to ask Zarkon for his blessing.

“That’s so wonderful, Xyla! Now I wonder when you three are going to find someone to make you honest Galrans.” Velza joked.

“I’m already honest, mother!” Akira retorted, and Xyla smacked him on the back. 

“That’s enough out of you, baby brother.”

 

.

 

After he had spent some time with his family, Akira ran down to Shiro’s room so he could get there before he got back from the arena. He laid down on the bed and curled up, playing with his hair. The white locks had been getting longer lately, Akira not seeing a need to cut them. He liked his hair longer anyway, and Shiro seemed to as well. 

The door opened when Akira was softly humming to himself, his eyes closed. He sat up to greet Shiro, who looked tired and beat up. But the smile on his face when he saw Akira never wavered.

“Hi, baby.” Shiro walked over to him and Akira scooted over to the edge of the bed to get to him faster. Akira grabbed Shiro and wrapped his legs and arms around him, pulling him into a hug, touching their foreheads together too. He loved that nickname Shiro had given him. He used the word in his own tongue, which made Akira feel all the more special. 

“How was the arena today?” Akira asked as he started to examine Shiro after pulling away. He didn’t look injured anywhere, just slightly bruised and scraped in places.

“It was fine.” Akira didn’t press further than that, he knew Shiro didn’t like to talk about it. “What did you do today?”

Akira told him about how his sister had come back, and how he really wanted him to meet her. Maybe tomorrow. For now it was their alone time.

“I have to shower—” Shiro started. “Did you need to?”

“Oh, yeah, but I can wait.”

Akira saw Shiro's cheeks flush slightly as he looked away. “Actually I wanted to ask if you wanted to shower with me.”  
  
“ _ Oh _ .” Akira looked up at him. “...I think I’d like that.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is nsfw. warning for shiro and keith being bashful and awkward and also there's alien anatomy i guess? it took me a while to work it out but i don't think galra have dicks lmao. enjoy

When they got into the bathroom and Shiro shut the door, suddenly it became very nerve-wracking because Akira just realized that showering meant they’d have to be naked. Very, very, totally and completely naked. He’d been incredibly anxious about this particular moment because he had no idea how human anatomy worked and he didn’t know if it was similar to his. He didn’t want Shiro to see him and he think he was weird, which is why he had been avoiding the subject since they got together.

“Here. Let me help you out of your clothes.” Shiro put both hands on Akira’s hips and asked if it was okay. Akira nodded.

Shiro slowly undid Akira’s overshirt and then slipped off his undershirt as well, Akira’s tail uncurling from around his abdomen. Shiro just smiled at it, like he had always known about it, even though Akira never showed him.  “You’re so handsome.” He said, running his metal hand over Akira’s flat chest, his fingers running through the furry mane he found there. “I really love this.”

Akira’s ears went down, twitching slightly. “Let me take yours off.” He slipped Shiro’s shirt off as well, exposing his broad chest. Akira had seen it before, Shiro would sleep shirtless sometimes. “That’s better.”

“Pants, or do you want to do that yourself?”

Akira thought for a moment. “I’ll...do it myself. Don’t wait for me.” 

When Akira finally got the courage to get in the shower with Shiro, he told Shiro to turn around, not to look. He was so embarrassed. 

“...No wait, you can look!” He said suddenly, changing his mind. “Just get it over with.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Akira crossed his arms and Shiro turned around.

“What is  _ THAT _ !” Akira immediately pointed down at Shiro’s crotch, where there was a thing he had never seen before in his life. It was so cool! Any embarrassment he had before was gone, replaced with curiosity.

Shiro didn’t even have time to react before Akira was touching it. “Oh my god, Akira!” Shiro put his hands on the prince’s shoulders and pushed him away gently. 

“I’m sorry! I’ve just never seen anything like that before. What do you call it?”

The rest of the conversation was definitely one of self-discovery for the both of them. Shiro told Akira a million different words for his dick, which he tried to explain how it worked in the easiest way possible. He didn’t know the best way to explain it in Galran, so they had to help each other along the way. Akira in turn explained himself, telling Shiro that male and female Galra had essentially the same things, at least externally. Shiro told him that it was sort of like what human females had, but prettier. That made Akira smile uncontrollably, a warm feeling pooling in the pit of his stomach.

After their long talk about it, they focused on the actual shower. They washed each other with gentle, caring hands, fingers sometimes sliding over places that made them moan. They were careful not to do too much, at least not in the shower. Akira whispered in Shiro’s ear that he wanted to play when they got out.

“We’ll have to shower again.” Shiro said.

“Oh well.” Akira hummed, pulling Shiro out of the shower. He grabbed towels for the both of them and helped dry Shiro off.

They went back into the bedroom and laid together, and Akira pressed feather-light kisses to Shiro’s collarbone, nuzzling the delicate skin. “Can I touch you?” He asked, his hand lingering near Shiro’s thigh.

Shiro nodded and Akira cautiously touched his cock with a few fingers. He rubbed it gently before wrapping his hand around it, just doing what felt right. He squeezed it a little, which Shiro didn’t seem to appreciate much, so instead he tried a few different things. Shiro sighed and moved his hips up into Akira’s hand when he was already moving it up and down. 

“Is that nice?” Akira asked. “Does it feel good?”

“No, it feels great.” Shiro said softly, his head laid back against the pillow, eyes closed.

Akira smiled up at his lover and continued to move his hand, noticing how Shiro’s cock was getting harder. It looked  _ so  _ good and it felt so heavy and hot in his hand. “Shiro...what else can I do?"

“You can uh, put your mouth on it. Use your tongue.”

Akira leaned down to do so, carefully licking the tip of Shiro’s dick, still holding it in his hand. He licked little stripes up and down with his tongue and then wrapped his lips around the head. He tried to watch his fangs as he did.

“If you can... you can bob your head. Suck it.”

Akira did, trying to take Shiro further into his mouth. He was pretty thick so he couldn’t go far, but he did his best, drooling on his cock as he went. When he pulled away there was a line of saliva that came with him.

“Oh, my god.” When Akira looked up at Shiro, he was looking back at him. He was watching?

“What?” Akira asked with a little smirk, not taking his hand away from Shiro’s cock, still stroking him.

“You’re so good...Akira.” Shiro reached down to touch Akira’s cheek. “Why don’t you let me touch you now?”

“But what about you?”

“Shh. Don’t worry about me.” Shiro sat up and asked him to lay down and spread his legs open for him.

Akira did so, and  _ Stars _ he was so embarrassed. He’d never done this with anyone before. But if there was anyone he’d want to do it with, now and forever, it was Shiro. He wanted to ask Shiro to be his mate so, so badly, but he wasn’t sure if it was the right time.

Akira’s thoughts were interrupted when a shiver shot up his spine, more like electricity than a chill. Shiro had his hands wrapped around his thighs and his tongue was pressed to Akira’s  pussy. “Stars, Shiro, oh—That feels so—” 

Anything Akira had heard about mating, this was never a part of it. Shiro pressed against him with his tongue, licking slowly, even pressing inside. That made Akira moan  _ loud. _ He grasped Shiro’s hair with both hands, needing something to hold onto desperately. 

Akira knew for a fact that all Galran mating involved was simple touches. A fluid transfer. It was clinical and frankly unpleasant the way he had it described to him. But this was beautiful, and it felt heavenly. He watched as Shiro stuck a metal finger in his mouth and sucked at it for a moment before slipping his hand down to press against Akira.

“Are you going to put that inside m-me?” Akira jerked, his hand was so cold!

“Is that okay, baby?”

“Of course, I’m just nervous. Be gentle.”

“I wouldn’t dream of being anything but.” Shiro smiled and used his free hand to cup Akira’s cheek. He slowly eased his middle finger inside, and the prince’s ears twitched wildly, his tail smacking the bed.

Shiro moved his free hand down to Akira’s chest, lovingly petting the thick fur there. Akira arched into his touch, a low moan resounding in his throat that sounded like a purr.

“More.” Akira said softly, not begging, but not quite asking him either.

“Absolutely, Your Highness.” Shiro pressed his finger in further and started to move it, and Akira kicked him.

The most Shiro did was put two fingers inside him, because it hurt to take any more. His anatomy wasn’t exactly made for Shiro’s, but they could work on it. Shiro pulled his fingers out when Akira told him it was starting to hurt, and replaced them with his mouth again. He licked and sucked and even nibbled (at the Galran’s request) until Akira found himself screeching and writhing against the bed, his back arching high off the sheets in a beautiful curve. He heard Shiro curse in his own language and then felt his tongue inside him again. Akira was nearly delirious when he was done.

“Shiro…” Akira tried to keep his eyes open but his body was just not used so much stimulation. He couldn’t move.

He heard Shiro laugh and felt him pull him into his arms, resting Akira against his chest. “Are you okay?” He asked, brushing the hair out of Akira’s face.

“Mm.” Akira sighed and snuggled into his chest, his tail curling around Shiro. 

Shiro woke him for a shower at some point, Akira unsure of the time. He had a lot of questions about exactly what had happened when they had sex and he was sure Shiro did too, but he’d wait to breach the subject because he was so tired he could barely stand, let alone talk.

They laid together facing each other, legs tangled and Akira hugging Shiro’s chest. His tail sprawled out behind him. Akira lazily touched Shiro’s face with his free hand, fingers ghosting over his lips and across his jawline. “Shiro?”

“Yeah?”

“I suppose I should have asked before we made love, but...Do you want to be my mate?” Akira asked, his voice soft but confident. He saw Shiro’s lips turn upwards in a smile at the phrase he had used. He loved it after all. Making love sounded so much better than just  _ mating,  _ and he was grateful Shiro taught him it.

“If it means I get to be by your side forever, then yes.” Shiro smiled and kissed his lips. “I will. No matter what.”

Akira hid his face in Shiro’s chest, and he couldn’t stop smiling. He realized now that Shiro loved him for everything that he was, even if he was Galran. Even if he was a prince. Even if he thought he was Zarkon’s son—

Oh. He’d forgotten about that little detail. He had never told Shiro. He had every right to know, if they were to be mates then Akira wouldn’t want to keep that secret from him.  
  
“Hey, Shiro—”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked that big gay mess . what's gonna happen now? ;)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a little nasty, can't give any specific warnings bc spoilers ... good luck

There was a frantic knock at the door that scared the living daylights out of Akira. He grabbed onto Shiro so tight that he nearly dug his claws into his bare back. “It’s okay.” Shiro whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Let me go see who it is.”

Akira sat up and covered himself with the blankets as he watched Shiro throw on a pair of pants and head to the door. Upon opening it he was greeted by Velza, her eyes wide. “Shiro, is Akira here? I need both of you to—” She stared at him, noticing how frazzled the man was.

“I…” Velza moved her head slightly and saw Akira in the bed. Her ears twitched in embarrassment and she covered her mouth. “Stars, I’m so very sorry—oh my goodness—but this really cannot wait. Please come out when you’re both decent, I’ll wait out here.”

When Shiro shut the door, Akira looked at him, his fur all poofed out and his ears standing straight up. “My mother just—”

“Yeah. Yeah I know.” Shiro held his face in his hands for a moment.

“...We’ll have time to think about how embarrassing it was later, we should get dressed.” Akira stood up off the bed and promptly faceplanted on the floor.

Shiro held back laughter as he helped the poor thing up, walking him to the bathroom and helping clean him up. They got dressed and met Velza outside the door, and she took them upstairs. Akira held onto Shiro the whole way.

“Your majesty, allow me to apologize for—” Shiro began, but Velza shook her head.

“Nothing to apologize for, darling. I knew, anyway. Why do you think I came to your room first? I’m very happy for the both of you.”

All three of them smiled, and then Akira noticed where they were heading.

“Mother?” Akira asked, his heart pounding with every step closer they got to the infirmary. “Why are we going to the infirmary?”

“Why do you think, love?” Velza smiled sweetly over at him and Akira pulled away from Shiro and took off.

He flew past the infirmary doors and ran straight to Thace’s room, where his father was sitting up in bed. Akira felt a lump in his throat as he nearly jumped on Thace, careful not to hurt him. He held Thace’s face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together, his eyes screwing shut as he attempted to hold back tears.

“Father—” He choked out. “Papa, I’m so happy you’re alive—”

Thace was bewildered but he held Akira and sat with him for a long time, unmoving. Until Velza approached them and Akira pulled both of them into a big hug. Shiro stood near them, but Velza grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the hug, too.

“I see I’ve missed quite a bit.” Thace chuckled, and Akira heard him sniffle.

“Me too.” Shiro said, noticeably confused.

“Shiro, I was going to tell you earlier, when we...um.” The prince pulled away and looked between his mother, father, and his mate. “And Father, mother told me about you, of course, and...and.” He cleared his throat. “I asked Shiro to be my mate today.”

“Really now? What did he say?” Thace smiled and looked at Shiro.

“Couldn’t resist.” Shiro laughed.

For as long as they could, the four of them sat together and filled Thace in on things that had happened, and just talked about everything in between. It was a tender moment that couldn’t last long enough. But sadly, it was late and Velza needed to go. She nuzzled her mate and they looked into each other’s eyes and whispered how much they loved each other. It made Akira so happy, and he reached out to hold Shiro’s hand, too.

After saying goodbye to Thace as well, Shiro and Akira headed to the prince’s room for the night, and they fell into each other’s arms and laid close, limbs entangled, until morning.  
  


.  
  


While Shiro was still asleep, Akira showered and dressed for the day. On his way out he pressed a kiss to Shiro’s lips, leaning over him from his place next to the bed. He wanted to find Xyla that morning so he could introduce her to his mate. He looked throughout the castle—the parlor, the library, Xyla’s room, and the grounds with no luck, and on his last leg he found himself at the entrance of Zarkon’s throne room.

He pursed his lips and took a cautious step toward the doors. He pushed one of the large doors open just a crack, and he saw his sister before the Emperor’s throne, the man himself upon it. Akira’s ears twitched as he tuned himself into the conversation, keeping his breathing steady and not moving a muscle.

“Father, if you might only listen to me—”

“Do not speak to me that way.” Zarkon’s voice was cold, more frigid than Akira had ever heard it. “How dare you waste my time yesterday when all you had to report was bad news? _How_ could you not conquer that Balmera? The Balmerans would not submit to a Galra princess?”

“Father, the Balmera is a living creature and the Balmerans are innocent. I couldn’t just take away their freedom.” Xyla’s voice shook as she continued, but she looked her father in the eyes. “I can’t do this anymore. I won’t. It isn’t r—””

“Silence.” Akira saw Zarkon step off the throne and in less than a second he was before Xyla, his hand around her neck. “You are no daughter of mine if you will not do as I command.”

Akira pushed the door open the rest of the way without another thought. He screamed at Zarkon and pushed Xyla out of the way, cursing and howling. His heart pounded, fearing for his life, but he wouldn’t let this tyrant hurt his sister. Not even if it meant his own safety.

“Ah...what’s this? Has the bastard prince’s lineage finally been disclosed to him?” Zarkon stood over Akira, towering and more terrifying than the prince had ever seen him. He tried to stop himself from trembling.

“Do not take me for a fool, boy,” Zarkon continued, “Did you not expect me to hear of Velza’s constant visits to Thace’s bedroom? Do you think I would not notice the way she would look when his name was mentioned? That I wouldn’t notice that my supposed son looks _nothing_ like me?” Zarkon grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him up off the ground. Akira yelled and struggled to get out of his grip, scratching at his hands.

“I cannot believe I wanted to pretend you were my son. Petulant little _rodent_.” Zarkon hissed at him. “I should have killed you and your mother like I killed Tirel.” He said, and Akira’s eyes widened in horror.

His mind was racing. Zarkon killed his previous mate? How could he do that? What kind of person could possibly—

He heard a blood-curdling scream behind him, the drawing of a sword. With tears pouring down her cheeks, Xyla ran at Zarkon, and Akira felt himself being flung against the wall of the throne room. He blacked out, and when he woke he was in a cell, his vision still spotty and his entire body aching.

He turned over after struggling for a few ticks, his vision fading in and out. He focused on an object lying next to him on the ground and realized with pure horror that it was his sister’s severed head.  
  
He screamed so loud and for so long that his voice gave out, and he laid on the ground and sobbed, begging the gods above to wake him from this nightmare.


End file.
